The usual bathing in the lake ended tragically for a resident of the American state of Missouri, who came into contact with the amoeba Naegleria fowleri while swimming. The single cell got into his brain through his nose and “ate it”, eventually killing the man. This dangerous amoeba was also found in Poland.
- Amoebas can cause severe negleriosis
- Single-celled cells have also been detected in our country, but in Poland so far not a single fatal case has been confirmed
- Symptoms of negleriosis can be, for example, convulsions and hallucinations
- More current information can be found on the Onet homepage.
Authorities closed the beach at Three Fires Lake in Iowa, where the fatal incident involving a tourist from Missouri occurred. The man was exposed to the amoeba Naegleria fowleri, which causes a disease that only a small percentage of those infected survive, says the Independent.
Infection with the amoeba Naegleria fowleri most often occurs while swimming in polluted, very warm, stagnant and fresh water, i.e. in lakes and ponds. It is worth noting, however, that infections also occurred in non-chlorinated swimming pools and hydrotherapy pools. Even people who washed their sinuses with unboiled water were victims of amoebas. After the amoeba gets through the olfactory cell projections in the nose, it “chews” through the mucous membranes and enters the brain, which “eats”. The parasitic disease caused by the amoeba is called negleriosis and leads to primary encephalitis and meningitis and ultimately to death.
Negleriosis is sudden and leads to death in just 72 hours
Amoeba Naegleria fowleri is a cosmopolitan species that has naturally grown in areas with very warm climates such as Africa, India and Australia. The industrial development, however, caused the lakes to be heated artificially, which allowed her to colonize new niches. Currently, most cases of negleriosis are reported in Pakistan, New Zealand and the US, where 154 cases have been recorded in the last six decades (of which only four have not resulted in death).
In Poland, the amoeba Naegleria fowleri was detected in the 80s in the warm waters of Konińskie Lakes in Greater Poland. They were heated by nearby power plants. However, no cases of negleriosis have been reported. Our southern neighbors were less fortunate – in the years 1962-1965, as many as 16 people died who used the same indoor swimming pool in the then Czechoslovakia Ústí nad Labem.
Doctors and scientists are not able to clearly answer the question of why infection only develops in some people, and why others who use the same tanks come out of such baths unscathed. It is known, however, that the risk of amoeba infection increases in hot weather and is particularly dangerous for children and people with weakened immunity, e.g. seniors.
Symptoms of negleriosis appear up to a week after amoeba infection. The disease manifests itself as headaches, stiff neck, vomiting, increased temperature, drowsiness, problems with concentration and balance, as well as convulsions and hallucinations. Illness is rapid and violent, usually killing within 72 hours.
If an amoeba infection is suspected, the cerebrospinal fluid is examined. In people who had negleriosis, it was yellow-white or gray in color and was tinted with blood. An increased percentage of granulocytes and protein concentration were also observed there. To treat the disease, antibiotics are administered directly to the brain, which is very risky. This method was used by Dr. Sanjiv Pasal, to whom Kali Hardig came in 2013. She was infected with an amoeba, most likely while playing in the water park. The doctor then gave the girl a mixture of antifungal drugs, a newly developed drug that penetrated the blood-brain barrier, and antibiotics, thanks to which she managed to survive.
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